To say last year was tough for Elliana Fowler would be an understatement.

After suffering an injury that kept her out last girls basketball season, she had to watch from the sideline as Joliet Central put together one of its better seasons in recent memory.

“Every game I watched last year, I wanted to go out there and help,” she said. “I wanted to give the best I could, but I had to just watch.”

A senior now, she’s done watching. Fowler is back in the starting lineup for the Steelmen and she was in top form Thursday night against Plainfield East. She scored 18 points in the first half alone and finished with 22 as the Steelmen cruised to a 68-23 victory on their home court.

The game itself was never really in question. After falling behind 4-2, the Steelmen went on a 17-0 run and finished the first quarter up 26-10. They led 48-16 at halftime and 61-22 entering the fourth, triggering a running clock.

Joliet Central (2-4) also got big games from Nevaeh Wright (16 points) and Elena Moody (13 points, three 3-pointers). Plainfield East was led by Gianna Thompson with eight points.

“We’ve really been focusing on starting the game off focused and on the same page,” coach Laura Brumfiel said. “A lot of times we’ll play the second half a lot better than how we’ll start, so improving our starts has been a point of emphasis. We did that tonight.”

Even though the Steelmen have four losses this season, look beyond the overall record. The worst loss was a 12-point defeat to 6-1 Minooka. When they played Minooka two weeks later, they lost by only four. Their losses to Joliet Catholic and Lincoln-Way Central were by single digits, as well.

They also rebounded to beat Lincoln-Way Central nine days after losing to the Knights. This season is starting out better than 2024-25, and that Steelmen team won a playoff game. Wright has been just as excellent as ever, while Moody has been a sniper.

Don’t forget about the return of No. 1 to the lineup, too.

“It’s been fun,” Fowler said. “I missed it. It was a long, long wait, but it’s good being back playing with my teammates.”

While the Steelmen finished just under .500 last year and won a postseason game, Wright was left to do all the heavy lifting offensively. She averaged 22.1 points per game as a junior, while Fowler’s 16.2 PPG from her first two seasons were on the bench.

Having Fowler back to shoulder some of the load has led to good things for Joliet Central.

“It balances things out and takes some pressure off of Nevaeh Wright,” Brumfiel said. “You see what happens when our guards play well together. We’re really hard to beat.”

Wright concurred that while the Steelmen handled the adversity well, they’re grateful to have Fowler on the court again.

“It takes a lot of pressure off,” Wright said. “Last year, when she was out, it was a lot of pressure, but I knew I had to step up. My team had to step up, too, but we’re glad she’s back, and it’s only up from here.”

Next up for Joliet Central will be a trip to Bolingbrook on Tuesday. Plainfield East’s next game will be Saturday at Metea Valley.